Strange Day.

In brief:

Certain chronic issues that are getting me down were made manifest again today. I’m attempting resolution, but no joy yet.

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On top of that, I’ve been uncommonly nervous about my next hospital visit which is due tomorrow. I was going to say ‘don’t bother to wish me luck, it never works,’ but maybe I would be wrong about that. I’m being unreasonably cynical at the moment.

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HSBC Mastercard demonstrated yet again how incompetent the commercial and financial worlds are becoming, both in terms of their practices and their approach to customer service. Their practice screwed up today, and when I tried to find out what was going on I spent half an hour on the phone becoming ever more angry and frustrated. In the end I hung up without getting an answer. I wonder how long it will be before we sweep all this away and get back to a simpler way of doing business. Bankers in the dole queue. Nice thought.

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After the walk tonight, which was a rather cold and care-laden walk with no stars a-twinkling, I fell asleep in front of the fire for two hours! I think the last time I slept for two hours in the evening was when I had a bad dose of the flu in 1995. Ironically, it’s going to make me late going to bed, but no doubt it was the work of some guardian fey just trying to help knit up the ravell’d sleeve of care. ’Tis grateful I am, friend.

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I thought I’d post this short clip from an episode of Open All Hours. The reason I liked that series so much was because it was set in the version of England in which I grew up (and which made me what I am today…) It was a pre-internet, pre-credit card world replete with Balaclava helmets and a simpler way of doing business. Note the way the Balaclava-betopped Thorndyke pronounces ‘book.’ Takes me home.

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So now I’m going to watch the official video of The Stranglers’ Golden Brown again. That, too, carries a strong resonance with something real but unremembered. I wonder what it was. Whatever it was, it always shifts my consciousness into a slightly more comfortable place, which isn’t so bad for going to bed on.